


Everything About You

by Yoko_Fujioka



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, midotaka week 2016, ratings and tags will be added/changed every chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 06:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7156754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoko_Fujioka/pseuds/Yoko_Fujioka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gave myself seven midotaka week prompts. Every single one will likely be an AU.</p><p>Day 1: Surf Culture</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything About You

**Author's Note:**

> Ahahaha in which Yoko is funny and thinks she can write seven days of drabbles in a row~ Really this was just supposed to be an advertisement to get other people's attention on my prompts and maybe even just come up with their own, but of course this was the week where I barely had the computer and randomly got invited out LOL (of course the universe's sense of timing is hilarious).
> 
> Ummm and to clarify this is set in California in the 1960's, Kazunari is a nisei but not all of the characters are~ it's really weird writing Japanese first names first and there were a bunch of times where I wrote someone's last name the whole time but also someone else's first name--it's kinda weird hearing them refer to each other by their first names, too, so feel free to comment if you catch me in a mix-up.
> 
> So I tried to use hyperlink for all the references I thought I could just explain with an image, such as cars and radios, but here's the vocab I didn't think would really fit to just send you to a wikipedia link;   
> Choice: Good-looking. Cool. Nice. “What a choice jacket!”   
> Pidgin: A simplified version of a language, in this case English, borrowing choice words from several different languages in a way that even non-speakers of that particular one understand. Often used in Hawaii. [In this one case I will just send you guys to wikipedia because there's no way I could explain this in less than three paragraphs.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Pidgin) LOL.  
> Hang Tough: Hang on/hang tight, you can make it through this.   
> Beach Bunnies: A girl who spends a lot of time at the beach but doesn't surf; Looking to date a surfer?  
> Hunnies: Girls who surf.  
>  **Church key** : Included a picture when it comes up but hard to explain just from the image; drinks didn't used to have a pop top, so you'd have to dig this box cutter, essentially, into the tin lid yourself and then pull it back. Kinda like a kitchen can opener but my dad says it didn't create the dangerous jagged edges, surprisingly.   
> Chirping: Playful banter; Sports-related roasting  
> Far out: Excellent, cool.

Kazunari had been so excited about the daytrip, and even more than that a break from school, that he had packed his bags early. Okay so not like "the night before" early, he still wasn’t quite that organized, but despite barely so much as closing his eyes he was still high enough on anticipation to jump out of bed and pack all his usual stuff, made easier by having never taken it out in the first place. 

Running down the stairs and putting his bag by the door before rushing into the kitchen to give his mom a kiss, Kazunari passed his father reading the paper and his sister eating noisily, her little up-do cute but stiff with hairspray, like she put a lot of work into it. Must be tough trying to fit in with the girls in the neighborhood to see if they’d let her play with them. On the other side of the kitchen, his mother’s dress was as crisp as her apron and her heels and hair looked impeccable. The boy didn’t doubt for a second that she would go to the store just like that, make the other ladies regret ever saying she wasn’t good enough for their functions.

Starting to eat as soon as his mother put the plate down, Kazunari had just about finished when he heard the familiar roar of Junpei’s engine, loud even over his dad’s [Zenith transistor radio](https://img1.etsystatic.com/003/1/6264323/il_570xN.358006355_4ily.jpg). Barely remembering the last “Love you, bye!”, he made it out of the house just about before Junpei could annoy his neighbors with enough honking to raise the dead. Still he slowed his jog, just for a second or two, to whistle under his breath because sure he had seen her before, but in this bright sunlight Junpei’s new [woody](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/dd/89/87/dd89876a22d82617c4714b55a5e642c0.jpg) was just choice, baby blue with shiny wood paneling. 

Maybe he had spoken too soon about the honking because the car was already blasting music, something without words to give away the title but still familiar enough that he knew he liked it. The synth and drums rolled just like the waves, and he was getting so desperate he could already taste mouthfuls of salt. 

Yoshitaka had already been hanging out one of the back windows yelling who-even-knows-what, it could have even been pidgin for all Kazunari knew, he had heard a rumor the older boy had grown up in Hawaii. Seeing Kazunari wasn’t already in the car, Junpei pushed Shun’s head away from the passenger window facing him in order to yell. 

“Well, what are you waiting for, Christmas?!” He asked, looking irritated already.

“Did you know santa is North Polish?” Shun asked from slightly behind him, quick on the draw as always. Yoshitaka groaned, too, but Kazunari could barely hear him over Junpei, and Shun’s yelp was likely in more pain than surprise. Still Kazunari nearly died of laughter, not used to his puns yet, making Shun pop back up, looking overjoyed. 

“Kazunari, will you merry me?!” He asked enthusiastically and that was it, Kazunari dropped his bag on the lawn, clutching his stomach from the pain of his laughter. Unimpressed, Junpei tapped the gas and lurched forward like he was seriously about to leave the two of them behind (if only he could get the passenger door open).

Running to catch up, Kazunari was glad Yoshitaka took pity and opened the trunk from the inside before he was close enough to grab the handle himself. Flashing the older boy a white smile, he threw his bag before tumbling in himself. Surfing had gotten him pretty good at gymnastics, even though he had naturally been good at backflips, and someday he hoped to be able to do tricks on his board while out on a full wave. 

Junpei’s ride didn’t have any back doors, but the windows back here were much larger than and generally had enough space for tall boys to kneel or sit even with the large surf boards and bags the car had been made to carry. The windows had already been rolled down, but despite the nice breeze when he stuck his head out the window, Kazunari still winced when the sun-warmed interior burned his skin.

“What’s wrong Junpei, tongue tide?” Shun looked over with only his eyes, noticing said man was strangely quiet.

“One more pun out of you” Junpei took his eyes of the road to point a finger first only at Shun, although Kazunari got pulled in. “And I am kicking you both out of my car, got it?”

“I hear you loud and clear~” Kazunari started, but from in front of him...

“If you sea so, but it’s shore gonna be hard!” Shun chirped, Junpei hitting his head on the steering wheel while Kazunari accidentally snorted out of his nose, glad he hadn’t taken a sip of the pop he had just pulled from a cooler or it would have hurt even more.

“Hang tough, Junpei” Yoshitaka said solemnly, reaching over the seat to pat the other man on the shoulder, which he didn’t even notice through his groaning. Shun looked proud, and everyone was sure these weren’t his last.

“Anybody got a [church key](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Churchkey01.jpg/300px-Churchkey01.jpg)?” Kazunari asked, trying to keep the soda stable between his knees, nice and cold, without being shaken up by how the car jumped and jostled. From beside him Yoshitaka silently pulled the small metal bar out of a pocket in his jeans.

“Ah, thanks” Kazunari bid him quickly, raising his knees but keeping the soda there so that he could pierce the can lid with the knife edge before pulling back, yelping when some of the soda bubbled over.

“Hey watch it!!” Hyuuga yelled looking back at them through the [rear-view mirror](http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/160817039247-0-1/s-l1000.jpg) that was genuinely shaped and colored like a surf board. Kazunari put his hands up in defeat, and he turned back.

“So Yoshi, I didn’t know you were a surfer, what did you come along for?” Kazunari suddenly had to ask, looking over his shoulder at the extra surfboard Junpei had brought him, as promised, but no fourth.

“I’m there for the beach bunnies of course~ I’m feeling so good I’ll bet I’ll have had more than one girlfriend by the time school starts up!” Yoshitaka cheered, clenching his fist and looking as optimistic as ever. Kazunari tried to keep his chuckling to himself, it was mostly surfers who bragged about being able to bag several girlfriends in a summer, so he couldn’t help but assume Yoshitaka was going to pretend to be one, too, when he realized.

 

 

“Do you guys see any free spots?” Hyuuga asked for the eighth time, even Shun and Kazunari’s good eyesight doing them no good in the busy parking lot and even more packed beach front. 

“You’ll have to be more pacific.” Shun said it so monotonously that it was obviously unconscious, perhaps the laid-back delivery finally making Junpei accept his fate and give nothing more than a sigh. Kazunari had assumed it had mostly started since he had joined them, but with what a roll Shun seemed to be on, who knew how long he had been shooting out these one-liners?

“I couldn’t kelp myself” Shun at least snickered it to himself quietly, but he still got hit on the head for the pun.

"Keep it up and Junpei is gonna _shun_ you forever" Yoshitaka suddenly yelled out, with extra emphasis like he was proud and worried the other three might not get it, and Kazunari was only mad he hadn't thought of it. In front, Shun very nearly twisting his entire upper body to grab Yoshitaka's hands over the back of his seat, looking like every holiday had combined today. Kazunari wasn't the only one snickering in the back seat for once, but in the driver's seat Junpei was starting to resemble a dead-eyed fish, so they all silently but grudgingly agreed to lay off for a while.

In the end they parked pretty far from the beach, but had more than enough muscle power to carry their stuff the rest of the way. As expected Yoshitaka was the first to run off as soon as the sand was in clear sight.

Once he was settled in, Kazunari swore he saw the older boy with a different group of girls every time he got back to shallow water, chuckling as he rearranged his board into a more comfortable position under his arm. If any of the girls seemed impressed with the boy’s looks, it didn’t always last long once he started using one-liners. It looked like Shun had told him puns were a sure hit with the ladies, too, and Kazunari got sea-water in his mouth more than once just from overhearing them.

Perhaps Yoshitaka was just oblivious, because even optimistic Kazunari didn’t think he could stand getting turned down and given so many unimpressed looks. Admittedly he didn’t try his luck too often, either, partially because although girls were cute and soft, any guy he might be interested in was likely to give him an even worse reaction. He very rarely tried his luck, the waves were his lover, he’d say dramatically if anyone asked, but that was just because he got crushes much more often than he actually fell in love. 

 

The wind was just about right today and the sun was bright, but the waves were a little...tame? Perhaps it was just Kazunari getting bored with taking it safe and easy that was the problem, surfing was fun but he wanted that adrenaline rush again, that uncertainty. 

Now he wasn’t dumb or suicidal, knew the difference between something a little more exciting and something that would put him at serious risk. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t try the thing at least once, though.

Waiting until Junpei and Shun were both distracted Kazunari tiptoed to a more secluded part of the beach, not far off, but not suitable for kids or casual swimmers. Thankfully there were several people there who might just see him if he got a leg cramp or something.

Safety precautions were entirely wiped from his brain, however, as he stood there starstruck watching as the group already out absolutely tamed the waves. Because they disappeared under the tubes of water sometimes it was a little hard to pinpoint how many guys were out there, but he estimated there were five in total. It helped a little when they got closer and he could see, atop the blur of tan skin, brightly colored hair that seemed just unbelievable. It was fairly popular for people around here to bleach their hair blonde, especially if they were a surfer (or a poser), but blue? (And two people!)

Subtly looking out of the corner of his eye, Kazunari then noticed that there were two people sitting further down along the beach, a little hard to see although with his eyesight and intuition he could at least guess they were just casual observers. Admittedly it’d be more weird if they really were in a group with the other five, but their equally bright hair—green and pink, were they a gang or something?—made the instant connection in his brain at least.

Trying not to be a bother to them just in case, he tried to make his own paths away from theirs, although unfortunately sometimes he would just go where the water took him and get a little too close. They seemed really nice within their own group, at least, and the blonde had flashed him a smile when he had gotten close enough to get a good look. With each other, he didn’t get the jokes per say but could tell they were very comfortable, chirping back and forth and splashing each other with water. 

Whenever he landed especially far away he would just pause and watch them. He hadn’t been surfing for too long, and although this was a very popular beach, he hadn’t been introduced to too much talent. He had thought Junpei and Shun were amazing, the former having essentially learned how to swim and surf at the same time and the latter starting early on in middle school. They both had good feel for the water and their own balance, too, and had learned a lot of tricks to the sport, often the hard way, on top of their perhaps coincidental skill sets. 

These guys, on the other hand….they had to be prodigies, or water gods or something, there was no other explanation he could think of. 

Perhaps he should leave his lunch as offering and get away from the water before he died in some freak accident far away from the land where these gods were born. 

On the other hand, though, he was having an amazing amount of fun over here! Even in the calmer water he wiped out quite a bit, so over here he didn’t think he had made it even once without falling, but there was that spark he was looking for. 

Unless that feeling was the prickling sensation that he was being watched, of course. Perhaps the green haired one sitting on the beach was angry with him about something, because he had been glaring at him for quite some time now. Only at his back, though, if Kazunari turned around he’d quickly hide his face in his book just slowly enough that it was obvious he was doing it as a reflex. His face seemed pretty scary despite the parasol over his head, but something was, for once, actually keeping Kazunari from making a dumb decision and poking the crab with a stick. 

Instead he tried to keep to himself and not antagonize the greenette, although he occasionally couldn’t resist the urge. Now that he was making it obvious he was ignoring the glaring man, he could really catch him off guard when he looked back again, startling him into flinging the book up instead of lifting it up to cover his face. Kazunari wasn’t a strong enough man to resist laughing at that, but he at least turned away and tried to make his trembling not quite as noticeable.

Eventually covering his mouth with his hand, Kazunari twisted his upper body entirely out of sight before quickly walking away from the scene, dying inside from the laughter about the bubble over the pot. This was the most fun he’d had doing this sort of thing in such a while!

He could only partially blame it on his new distraction, who’s expression was best described as a pout more than a glare now, that his record of actually staying on his board got worse and worse, until he was falling just about as soon as he stood up. 

Coincidentally floating towards where the stick in the sand was sitting, Kazunari decided he might as well stick his entire arm in the oven, subtly paddling under his surfboard so that it looked like he was just drifting back to shore.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” He tried, although even that came out more mocking than he meant it to. At least the greenette didn’t seem too upset (or surprised, really), merely giving the black-haired boy a displeased frown before shutting his book with a loud clap from the hardcover.

“A day such as this deserves the respect of silence, yes.” He bit back, Kazunari having to hold back yet another laugh bubbling up in his throat. Still he was quick to go back on the offense, words as quick as the thought came into his head, as opposed to the sunbather, who took twice as long to think as he did to speak.

“You could enjoy the water in silence, though, couldn’t you?” He just had to ask, not really thinking about it too much, as he had wondered since the beginning. The other spectator with the pink hair didn’t seem too interested, either, but she seemed to be very intently taking notes on something going on in the water, so she at least seemed busy.

“You’re a Scorpio, aren’t you.” Was all seaweed head said, now with a look of disdain. Kazunari didn’t have the slightest idea what he was talking about, but the other could still pick out enough from his expression to know he was right. 

“Of course the only thing that could cause me problems would go out looking for me. Should have stayed home, vitamin D or no this was not worth it.” He grumbled under his breath, and Kazunari’s heart dropped a little. The guy was his type, not that he really liked anything specific, but this was another crushed hope. He really shouldn’t hope to find a boyfriend of all things, but to actually be so disliked was a little more than he had expected for admittedly pushing the boy’s buttons.

“Ah, see you, then” He excused himself awkwardly, turning around and pausing to flail his hand weakly from beside his shoulder. It was a good thing he had paused even that much, though.

“Wait!” a voice called after him so quick he reacted before he was really even aware it had happened. The word had obviously come from a desperate place, too, pitchy with panic.

“My name is Shintarō Midorima” The voice returned to its former smooth texture, confirming that yes, it was the same person speaking to him, and not just his hopes getting themselves up again because of some background conversation. Turning around slowly, like he was a little afraid to come on as strongly as before, Kazunari was still a little surprised to see how equally unsure Shintarō seemed as well. Fidgeting didn’t seem to be his sort of thing, but all of the sudden his expression was clear on his face, unsure of what to do or say but not wanting to leave things as they were.

Feeling the same way, Kazunari gave him a smile back, small but genuine.

“My name’s Kazunari Takao.” He gave back, not quite sure of what else to say as he rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little awkwardly.

“Do you speak Japanese?” Shintarō asked, eyebrow raised but not seeming to struggle for a conversation starter.

“Um well kinda, but not really well? I was born in the states and mom and dad are trying to learn English, too, so my sister and I help them practice by speaking it at home for the most part.” He explained, feeling a little less embarrassed when saying it to someone else of Japanese heritage.

“Oh, and you?” He almost forgot his manners, Shintarō seeming amused by his attempts to be proper now.

“I don’t remember much of it but I was born in Tokyo and lived there for the first four years of my life. Mother and father mostly speak Japanese to my sister and I.” Shintarō supplied back, a little more relaxed. 

“Whoa that’s so cool!! You’ve gotta teach me next time, aahh..is it okay If I call you by a nickname?” He got overexcited and bit his tongue too late, trying to cover it with another question although he could tell Shintarō had heard him perfectly. To try and avoid a conflict is one thing, but to essentially assume you’re best friends and going to hang out more? Aaahh how embarrassing. 

“I come to this beach fairly often, so if you keep up this hobby of yours I’m sure we’ll run into each other again.” Shintarō admitted, pointing towards his surfboard and watching as Kazunari slowly raised his head, eyes sparkling hopefully. The greenette coughed.

“As for nicknames, I do not prefer them but I already have two so I’ve just given up on trying to make them stop.” Shintarō pointed towards his group of friends with a roll of his shoulder, looking unimpressed. Kazunari couldn’t help but snort again, the blonde’s face flashing in his head as he was the one he immediately thought of to give people cutesy nicknames. 

Not sure what else to talk about now a silence fell over the two of them, not exactly awkward as both of them were so caught up in their ideas on what to start a conversation on that they didn’t even realize the other wasn’t talking.

Finally, Shintarō pointed back at Kazunari’s board.

“It’s getting hot, but since cancer is supposed to be unlucky in water today, I wish to borrow your flotation device to avoid drowning.” He said stiffly both in voice in movements, Kazunari at least getting good at not outright laughing. More than just his sculpted cheekbones (and abs) and pretty eyes, he sure was a weird one.

“Do you want me to teach you some surfing basics?” Kazunari couldn’t help but ask, his voice rising a little in pitch with how excited he was. He was still learning himself, but if there was someone who knew less than him, surely he could teach them, right? Kazunari really wanted to show off and spend more time with him.

“Absolutely not.” Shintarō shut him down immediately. However, Kazunari just laughed a little nervously in response to how sure Shintarō seemed.

From wading out with Shintarō Kazunari learned it was a daily horoscope that had warned him about drowning, so he was worried about the depth of the water more than anything. Kazunari had always thought he was pretty tall but Shintarō had him **beat** , so by the time Kazunari was treading water even the greenette's neck was well above the liquid. Still he followed Kazunari's instructions and settled himself belly down on the surfboard in a place where he could easily touch the sand below and feel like there was no risk his head would go under.

“Now what?” He asked and, a little unsure himself, Kazunari scratched his cheek. With surfing you were going further out with a specific spot in mind, but it was obvious just from his body language that Shintarō absolutely did not want to make any more "risky decisions".

“You could go in laps or circles” He suggested, laps seeming to interest Shintarō from the way his face lit up. Just when Kazunari was starting to think that wouldn't be as fun with two people, however, he was struck with an idea.

“Ah, we could race!” The idea just shot into his head out of nowhere, and he seemed to have kept his companion’s interest.

“We can set markers floating in the water for the lines, you can stay on that board and I’ll swim beside you!” He declared. Suddenly Shintarō seemed to have had a similar brainspark.

“I’ll be much slower, will I not, with this limited mobility and not being totally weightless?” He added, looking a little unimpressed.

“Shin-chan I’m looking at your arm muscles right now, do you really think I can beat you in a raw power contest?” He just had to tease, eyebrow raised as if to say _‘really now.’_

Shintarō took the praise with a puffed chest.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew I was giving you a huge handicap” The greenette reiterated, and that time the laugh was too sudden for Kazunari to stop, so when he tried to duck his head under he just succeeded in getting saltwater up his nose and in his mouth. Despite the burn he could only laugh harder.

 

“So do you go to a gym or something?” Kazunari asked perhaps five minutes later, both of their breathing a little ragged but their paces even with each other, so they could speak at a comfortable volume and it was just like sitting around and talking, except with more multitasking.

“No, I play a sport.” Shintarō said shortly, although he took a huge gulp of air right at that break.

“Pfft, why so vague?” Kazunari snorted, pushing a small wave of water onto Shintarō’s arm, just to annoy him. Sure enough he grumbled to himself, perhaps in Japanese since Kazunari wasn’t exactly sure what he said.

“I play basketball.” Still with the short sentences, but perhaps that was just because he was looking off into the distance now, where the big group of his friends were still playing around in the water, not really surfing anymore by the looks of it.

“I used to play on a team with all of them, and we play it in high school, too, but on different teams.” There was something a little strange in the bottom of Shintarō’s throat as he said that, but Kazunari decided to push something a little lighter instead.

“Please tell me they’re not as good at that as they are at surfing” He prayed, not only would it be terrifying to think about going head to head against that, but it would be supremely unfair.

“I don’t know enough about this sport-if you can call it that-” Shintarō knew exactly what he was saying, and he totally deserved the much bigger wave Kazunari pushed right into his face. Glaring at him with all the threatening power of an soaked kitten, Shintarō wiped his face with his hand and then brushed his bangs over the top of his head, making Kazunari’s breath get stuck in his throat.

Turning his head to the side and coughing it out, Kazunari only turned back when he heard a unfamiliar voice and laughter.

“M-my god, Midorimacchi, what are you _doing_?” The blonde guy from before asked, looking surprised but amused. The dark blue haired guy showed up behind him and started laughing, too, although right when Kazunari started wondering if he was being cruel, or if they were bullies, the tanned boy slapped Midorima right on the back with a boyish grin.

“You’ve gotta know how ridiculous you look right now. Finally learning how to swim?” The bluenette chirped, blondie breaking out laughing again as Shintarō looked about ready to yell his ear off, although he didn’t look a degree more than peeved.

“I’m Ryōta Kise by the way, and that’s Daiki Aomine.” Blondie introduced himself and the other male as the two continued arguing, Kazunari laughing just from the energy they seemed to have, even riling Shintarō up.

“I’m Kazunari Takao. Wanna race with us?” This wasn’t a really romantic setting and he had already learned quite a bit about Shintarō, so Kazunari thought 'the more the merrier' fit well in this situation. 

Shintarō shot him an expression that yelled _“Take it back!”_ but it was already too late.

“Hell yea!” Daiki yelled enthusiastically, slapping his hands on the water’s surface before rushing off to get the others. 

“It’s out of my hands, Shin-chan~” Kazunari made sure to joke, looking over his shoulder and giving the taller boy a mocking shrug, turning back just in time to miss the expression caused by the nickname.

Somehow that seemed more…personal than Satsuki or Ryōta’s nicknames, perhaps because they were also raised in Japan and used to using last names. In school and such Shintarō was long since used to being called by his first name, unlike what his grandmother used, but with the –chan, especially, it just seemed so…cozy, to try to simplify the emotion.

Shintarō was pulled from his thoughts by Taiga and Daiki’s loud arguing, a sigh leaving his lips as he could feel himself ageing already. In the novelty of it all Kazunari seemed pretty amused, but how long would that last?

Kazunari prided himself on being able to keep up, thank-you-very-much, and he was quite proud of himself for always being ahead of at least one person, named Tetsuya, who his teammates made sure to roast by saying it wasn’t anything impressive to have higher stamina then. What came after could only be described as a bloodbath without the gore. After that, Kazunari kept one eye peeled on the smallest boy at all times.

The others accepted Kazunari into their group, thankfully, and although there were a few times where he was pushed and kicked by Daiki and/or Taiga in their race against each other, he had a lot of fun. At one point he just started walking instead of swimming, which didn’t make him go much faster, but did at least get a laugh on how he was cheating. More than once Shintarō pulled him absentmindedly out of the carnage, like he was just used to it, and Kazunari knew he wasn’t being treated as anything special per say but it warmed his heart that he was being taken care of and worried about.

Just one arm wrapped loosely around his waist for a couple of seconds was enough to get his heart pounding, though, and Kazunari had to constantly remind himself, when unconsciously getting closer or putting an arm around him, he should he doing the opposite as he was setting himself up for failure doing this.

“Kazunari, you brat!” Junpei’s voice suddenly echoed even in the wide open sky, the ravenette completely unable, even after seeing it, to dodge the volleyball aimed right at his head.

“Oooww, seriously, at least use a beach volleyball!” He complained in genuine pain as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Kids who give their elders multiple heartattacks don’t get the privilege of a soft ball!” The glasses-wearing boy protested, grabbing Kazunari by the shoulder and shaking him.

“Ahaha, sorry…” Kazunari began, he had known what he was doing when he snuck away but he hadn’t planned to stay that long, but he hadn’t planned to find something so worthwhile over on this side, either.

“Don’t apologize to me, spend the time preparing for Riko.” The other warned ominously, making all the blood drain straight out of Kazunari’s face. His mother had entrusted Riko (and the others, technically) with keeping him safe, as she assumed he was always getting into trouble (which he wasn’t, he just got caught at the worst times, he swore.)

Riko was a fearsome woman on her own, and surfing along with her own workout regimen had made her a great athlete as well, so even without a cause there was good reason to be scared of even her boston crab hold. 

“I’m in for much worse than that, aren’t I.” Kazunari whined to himself, Junpei knowing generally what he was thinking about and nodding solemnly as he led the young man away.

“Bye you guys! Hope to see you at my funeral!” Kazunari yelled out semi-sarcastically, voice devoid of much energy but his arms still waving cheerfully. Most of the “byes” were from the more vocal of the group, and they all said it at about the same time, but just before he turned back (walking backwards was a little uncomfortable), Kazunari saw Shintarō mouth something.

_”I hope to see you again._

_Oh I’ll make sure we do, Shin-chan!_ Kazunari promised him, doing a small fistpump against his chest, unaware that Shun was watching him and already had a pretty good grasp of the situation. Still the older boy said nothing, not even to Yoshitaka when they met back up.

Kazunari was in something of a blind panic. The entire week he had chores or obligations and hadn’t been able to come to the beach at all. Two weeks ago he would have been pouty about missing so much nice weather and practice time, but now he was missing out on hanging out with Shin-chan! His season plans had changed pretty quickly but he was still having an far out time, practicing his surfing whenever he wasn't flirting with his summer crush on the down-low.

Worrying that Shin-chan might have already left as he approached the beach, Kazunari could only gasp a heaving sigh of relief when he saw a green speck in the distance.

Coming closer, Kazunari almost panicked, wondering if the greenette was ignoring him out of anger. By the time had had walked all the way over, and was standing directly behind Shintarō, however, he tried to console himself that the greenette was just entirely lost in the book he almost had pressed against his nose despite his glasses. The thick metal was even sliding down a little from how his face was turned downward, how endearing...

Taking a deep breath and calming his nerves, Kazunari let out a great scream from behind the broad back (trying not to pay too close attention to the muscles) as he slapped Shintarō's ribs from beneath his raised arms, the "attacked" teenager letting out a surprised screech and dropping his book again.

Kazunari was already laughing to the point of having trouble breathing when Shintarō turned around, startled, and after a playful punch or two they fell into even more comfortable banter than before. Too comfortable, or else Kazunari never would have blurted out.

“Shin-chan, do you wanna have dinner with me sometime?” He just wanted to cut his tongue clean off at that point, face probably red as he floundered for a possible cover.

“I do, but I am afraid I am busy the rest of the week.” Shintarō replied, a little quieter than usual, and although it could be sunburn, Kazunari swore his skin, just barely tanning, got a little rosier.

“Tonight is the only free time I have for a while, does that suit you?” The greenette continued, sunburn getting worse as he finally looked into blue eyes. Kazunari laughed, but it was different than any other laugh he had shown Shintarō so far, one filled with relief and joy.

“That sounds great” He finally replied, a boyish grin on his face. That night, kissing his Shin-chan in the dark corner of his front yard totally made up for having to sit with an empty seat between them at the diner bar so as to not raise any suspicion. Being so far apart just when he wanted to get closer had driven Kazunari mad, and although he checked that nobody was around and it was more than dark enough to cover them, he got caught up in his raw emotions and enamored feelings that Shintarō enthusiastically returned.

"Midorimacchi, you sure don't even wanna try?" Ryōta complained, looking over his shoulder to talk before he pulled his shirt over his head. Shintarō used that time to get all his unimpressed expressions out of his system so that by the time the blonde looked back, he was completely straight-laced. 

"Ryōta, I agreed that I needed to go outside more, and that I would come with you to the beach, but that's all. I've chosen not to join you, and will enjoy my own time." He explained fully, sure Daiki was standing right behind him flapping his hand in time with his words. Still he tried to be on his best behavior, this was his ride home after all, and held up his book instead. "Alright?" 

"Hmmm, seems like you have a reason you're not saying?" Daiki just had to jab from behind him, likely looking full of himself as Shintarō didn't even bother to turn around. Taiga snickered behind him, and he was sure Tetsuya was amused by this as well. 

"C'mon you guys, if Midorin really can't swim we shouldn't talk like we're gonna force him in, we might scare him off~" Taiga chuckled as he passed the greenette's beach towel, but he was too busy glaring at Satsuki from over his book.

_'Momoi...I thought you were my only ally....'_ his expression surely bled his betrayal.

" _Uhoooou, that look's super scary_!" Ryōta cried in Japanese as he raised his surfboard above his head and raced into the "safety" of the water, the others holding theirs in more comfortable positions as they followed suit, all bubbling with laughter.

"Sorry, Midorin!" Satsuki bid him with an apologetic little smile and an upraised hand before she carried her stuff far enough away where he could just barely see the details of her, sitting in what seemed to be clear view of where the rest of their group was mingling, using her knees as a desk despite her clipboard as she studied whatever she had come there for.

**Author's Note:**

> I HAD WAY TOO MUCH FUN WITH SHUN'S PUNS AND I AM NOT EVEN SORRY. (that scene dragged on for way longer than it was supposed to, though, I guess it was nothing more than an omen, since the later parts got much much longer, but so much for a simple 200 word drabble WWW). Admittedly it's a total failure on my part since almost every single one is a written pun, but I just fell in love and so quickly realized how to incorporate them in with each other so I just couldn't leave it LOL.
> 
> Also, that being said, I DID WAY TOO MUCH RESEARCH FOR THIS. I feel a little better, like the length kinda justifies it now, but I looked up a lot of vocab and phrases, etc, plus the types of cars and listened to the music LOL. Well alight I like oldies so it wasn't like I had no idea what surf music sounded like but you know LOLOL. And then I totally threw that vocab knowledge down the drain by using phrases like "unironically" which I only just started hearing recently at least. Anyway so the car scene has like a shitton of dated stuff that I thought through, but by the time Shin shows up I'm pretty sure they just start talking modernly and I'm so sorry LOL.
> 
> Also!!! Since Shin only wanted Kazu's board "so he wouldn't drown" I wanted him to get a boogie board and have Kazu like teach him the basic hand motions and such when you're lying down, approaching a wave...but then in turned out boogie boards were invented in the 70's. LOL so that possible bonding moment went down the drain OTL. In other news, though, surfers claim they invented skateboarding, and I do believe that was around in the 60's, so please imagine Shin agreeing to skateboard because it's on solid land but also wearing shittons of padding. Cute learning and accidentally falling on each other ensues~!! :)


End file.
